[Suwon On-Site Review] 'Lee Jung-hyun's 27-point explosion → Yeo Jun-seok's dunk show' Korea crushes Philippines... Two consecutive wins ahead of Asian Games

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean men's basketball team continued its upward momentum by easily defeating the Philippines ahead of the Asian Games.

On the 4th, Korea secured an 81-55 victory over the Philippines in a home match at the Hana Bank Invitational 2026 Men's National Team Evaluation Game held at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena.

This evaluation game served as a practical mock exam to finalize performance and condition ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Korea will face the Philippines again in a second evaluation match at the same venue on the 6th at 2 p.m.

Under the leadership of coach Nicolas Mazulis (Latvia), Korea is placed in Group A with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan for the Asian Games and aims to reach the quarterfinals. After playing their first group stage match against Saudi Arabia on the 10th, they will face Indonesia on the 11th and Japan on the 13th.

Under coach Mazulis, the Korean men's basketball team had struggled to gain momentum for some time. Prior to this game, their official record stood at just two wins and six losses. However, following their victory over Saudi Arabia in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers on the last day of last month, they successfully turned the tide by also defeating the Philippines.

On this day, Lee Jung-hyun led the team with a high score of 27 points. Lee Won-seok contributed 10 points, while Yeo Jun-seok and Moon Yu-hyun added 8 points each. Lee Hyun-joong scored only six points but secured 15 rebounds to fulfill his role.

The Philippines is by no means an easy opponent. They claimed the championship at the Asian Games four years ago and hold a FIBA world ranking of 39th, higher than Korea's 57th. In last month's World Cup Asian Qualifiers, they also defeated Jordan and Iran in succession.

However, Korea seized control of the game from the early stages. Leading with Lee Jung-hyun's perimeter shots and fast-break points, Korea surged ahead 9-0 to take the initiative. At the basket, Yeo Jun-seok grabbed an offensive rebound and directly converted it into points, adding strength to the team.

The Philippines did not yield easily. They closed the gap to 18-21, putting pressure on Korea. Once again, Lee Jung-hyun emerged as the savior. Scoring while drawing fouls from opponents, he doused the Philippines' pursuit. Lee Jung-hyun scored 10 points in the first quarter alone.

Korea entered the second quarter leading 24-18.

This time, Lee Hyun-joong led the offense. Although the Philippines responded with three-pointers, Korea maintained a double-digit margin through Lee Hyun-joong's scoring and passing game. After Lee Hyun-joong hit an outside shot, Jang Jae-seok scored at the basket and was awarded additional free throws.

In the final moments of the second quarter, Moon Yu-hyun shone with his performance. As the Philippines narrowed the gap to seven points again, Moon Yu-hyun sank a decisive three-pointer. He then blocked an opponent's attack on defense and immediately connected for a fast-break score. Korea quickly regained momentum and finished the first half leading 45-33 by 12 points.

In the early part of the third quarter, both teams showed sluggish offense. Korea failed to score a single point for about five minutes, while the Philippines managed only three points in the same period.

However, Korea broke the long silence with an Eddie Daniel fast-break score. Lee Jung-hyun then hit a three-pointer that lifted the atmosphere. When Yeo Jun-seok's powerful dunk also went in, the KT Sonicboom Arena shook with cheers from Korean fans. Korea finished the third quarter leading 57-44, maintaining a 13-point lead.

In the fourth quarter, Lee Jung-hyun's three-pointers continued to ignite the game. As the score gap widened, the Philippines repeated mistakes, and Korea did not miss this opportunity. In a fast-break situation in the middle of the fourth quarter, Lee Won-seok scored with a dunk, and Moon Yu-hyun hit a three-pointer, extending the lead to 72-51.

The outcome was effectively decided at that point. Korea comfortably held onto their lead for the remaining time and secured the victory at home.

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*This content was translated by AI.